Takeaways: Maryland bounces back, Brenda Frese gets win 499

One step from a milestone for Brenda Frese.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — After suffering a heartbreaking first loss of the season against Rutgers, Maryland bounced back with a 75-69 win Saturday afternoon over Ohio State.

The Terps once again found themselves in a back-and forth-battle as they did with Rutgers, but prevailed in the end. Junior Kaila Charles finished the game with 24 points, followed by Stephanie Jones with 16 points and Taylor Mikesell with 13 points.

“I thought we showed a lot about our character down the stretch with our poise, especially in the fourth quarter,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said following the game. “We had to get stops on the defensive end. We were able to step up and we forced them into five turnovers in that stretch. Obviously, that was the difference in the game. But I feel like we are still, obviously with the blend of our team, kind of still trying to learn ourselves with our strengths and our weaknesses.”

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Here’s what else we learned from Saturday’s Maryland win:

Mikesell put the team on her back

Freshman Taylor Mikesell should not even be called a freshman—she is in name only. She helped close the game with nine points and helped lift the Terps to 13-1 on the season.

Mikesell spoke following the game about her late flurry.

“Just staying steady, knowing eventually the defense was going to break down and if I were able to come back,” Mikesell said. “My looks were always going to be there just making the right plays and when my shot was there, take the shot.”

The veterans got it going early and down the tough stretches

Juniors Kaila Charles and Stephanie Jones along with senior Briana Fraser all contributed Saturday, especially early. Charles usually starts to pick up in the second half, but against Ohio State, she was very aggressive despite a slow start, while Jones did the same thing. A pivotal moment in the game for Jones was when she caught a deflected pass, drove it down the lane and laid it in, around the four-minute mark of the second quarter. That is the type of play the Terps will need from their veterans as conference play continues.

“They’ve been through the wars,” Frese said of her upperclassmen. “The confidence level and the trust level that you have in your vets, they want the responsibility, they shoulder it. This is year three and year four when you talk about Bri, just accepting that’s what vets should do down the stretch. You put your team on your back.”

Brenda Frese is one win away from 500 wins

Brenda Frese is only one win away from winning her 500th game in her career. She reflected on the milestone after win 499.

“I think the most important is, I never got into coaching for wins,” Frese said. “And I think the most incredible thing has been the people and the relationships. And when you talk about all the great players that I’ve been fortunate to be able to coach and all the great staff and support staff that I’ve been able to impact, but on the flip-side it’s just how many people that have impacted me. I think that’s what 500 wins means to me when we get there.”

She could get there as soon as Tuesday night, when the Terps travel to Nebraska.